Summer fun that won't break the bank

Wednesday

Apr 29, 2009 at 12:01 AMApr 29, 2009 at 1:41 AM

Cut down on the “I’m bored” lament from the kids this summer with activities that cost little or nothing. Kit Bennett, founder and general manager of AmazingMoms.com, and Cindy Chapman, the “money-saving mom” from MomsLikeMe.com, offer their advice.

Tara Kingston

Cut down on the “I’m bored” lament from the kids this summer with activities that cost little or nothing. Kit Bennett, founder and general manager of AmazingMoms.com, and Cindy Chapman, the “money-saving mom” from MomsLikeMe.com, offer their advice.

Paint with water

Supply children with clean paintbrushes and rollers along with a bucket of water and ask them to “paint” the patio, deck, garage door -- wherever. “My child painted the fence for four hours one summer,” Bennett said.

This works well for children younger than 6, as long as little ones are supervised.

Watch it melt

Gather a group of kids on a warm summer day and give each of them an ice cube and have an ice-cube-melting contest. Children will literally stand over their individual cubes and watch them melt, Bennett said.

While this is an easy way to pass time, don’t expect it to work on older kids for too long.

Toy swap

Gather up all those toys your kids have outgrown or no longer play with, have your neighbors do the same, and organize a toy swap. Put all the toys in a pile and have kids go one by one to pick out a toy.

Fill up balloons with water and stick them in the freezer until they’re frozen solid. Put them in a kiddie pool and have kids try to grab them using only their toes and feet.

A variation of this is to use ice cubes instead of water balloons, Bennett said. Have kids collect the ice cubes with their toes and put them in a pail.

Build a town

Raid the recycling bin for materials children can use to build cities and towns. Cereal boxes, yogurt containers, milk cartons, almost any kind of container – clean, of course – can be used to create structures in a pretend city. Add a supply of pipe cleaners, glue, string and other craft essentials, and kids have a way to spend the day in creative play.

Bubble mania

Making your own bubble wands is easy, Bennett said. Use pipe cleaners, wire hangers, paper clips, fly swatters and more to create shapes that kids can dunk into bubble solution.

Another fun bubble activity is to fill a kiddie pool with bubble solution, have the child stand in the middle and use a hula hoop to pull the bubble up around the child. Voila: kid-sized bubbles.

Find a bubble-solution recipe on AmazingMoms.com.

Make a sandwich

Get kids excited about lunch by turning it into a game. Put ingredients for sandwiches out on the counter and let kids get creative by concocting their own recipes. Tailor the ingredients to the ages of the children and make sure an adult handles any cutting duties.

This also works well with making smoothies, Bennett said, calling it “kid-friendly mixology.”

Finger painting with food

If you don’t mind a mess, have kids develop their artistic sides by using food to finger paint. Pudding, whipped topping, leftover mashed potatoes or other foods can become artistic medium for little ones.

Chapman said the insides of paper grocery bags are the perfect canvas for children’s art projects since the “paint” won’t soak through. Now you know the best answer to the question, “Paper or plastic?”

Give to others

Sometimes the best way to keep boredom at bay is to focus on the needs of others. Have children put together a charity event. It can be as simple as a car wash or pulling weeds for donations, or something more organized, like a neighborhood carnival.

One organization that helps kids set up a charitable event is Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. Found on the Internet at www.alexslemonade.org, this non-profit allows kids to receive advice and supplies so they can operate a successful lemonade stand with profits benefiting children’s cancer research. To date, more than $25 million has been raised through ALSF.

No-sand sandbox

Keep kids busy when the sandbox is unavailable by creating a no-sand sandbox indoors. Fill a big, lidded storage container with rice, flaxseed or oats and let kids use spoons, cups or other “sand” toys to get creative. Flaxseed is available at health food stores in 20-pound bags, and big bags of rice are available at most grocery stores or supercenters.

Extreme frugal: Take a walk

Kids can have more fun taking walks when they don’t know where they’re going. Start in front of the house and flip a coin -- heads are left, tails are right – and follow whatever direction the coin gives. Make sure an adult or teen goes along to flip the coin and remember how to get back home.

Breakout

By the numbers

- $2,500: Average tuition for a week at a private, for-profit summer camp. -- National Camp Association

- $80: Cost of The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass good for entrance fees for four adults 16 and older, kids younger than 15 are free. -- www.us-parks.com

- $244: Average cost per day for two people’s 2008 North American vacation lodging and meals. -- American Automobile Association

$75: Cost of a one-day base ticket for ages 10 and older to Walt Disney World in Orlando. -- wdwnews.com

- 284: Miles of the average summer long-distance trip. -- Bureau of Transportation Statistics

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